25 Best Mega Man Games
One thing you’ll notice while going over this list of the 25 Best Mega Man games, is that many of these games are stamped with anniversary symbols. Lots of them were made in celebration of Mega Man’s 10th or 15th birthday. Well, Mega Man’s 25th birthday just passed, and what did he get? Not much really. Unfortunately, it looks like Capcom is falling out of love with the Blue Bomber. Don’t worry Mega Man. We still remember you! So in celebration of Mega’s 25th, let's count down the 25 Best Mega Man Games.
- 25
Mega Man
Of course we have to put the original Mega Man on a list of the best Mega Man games ever. This is the game that started it all. It was incredibly difficult, only features six bosses, and had a totally useless score counter, but it was crazy fun. Honestly, it would be nice if the platform gun from the original Mega Man came back in a more recent installment.
- 24
Mega Man X2
Mega Man X2 took the awesome formula of X and expanded upon it. You were given new pieces of armor that granted you expanded abilities, had to fight all new mavericks, and even had to go up against the X hunters which guarded pieces of Zero’s body. This is also the first time that Zero used his trusty beam sabre.
- 23
Mega Man 8
Mega Man had a lot of releases on the NES, but only a few on the SNES and the PlayStation. Mega Man 8 came out after many entries in the X series, and though the graphics were great, the gameplay was far more like a traditional Mega Man game. This was the last mainline series Mega Man to use upgraded graphics.
- 22
Mega Man Soccer
Yes, one of our top 25 Mega Man games isn’t even a platformer. Mega Man Soccer is, in our opinion, one of the most fun soccer games to come out on the SNES. It may be one of the best soccer games to come out period. You got to play as iconic robot masters from the Mega Man universe and use their special powers to perform special trick shots. Move over FIFA, my center fielder can shoot balls of plasma with his feet!
- 21
Mega Man ZX Advent
Mega Man ZX Advent is quite a bit removed from the original Mega Man series, but it’s still the same old 2D formula we know and love. This sequel to the original ZX centered around people who could bond to “biometals” rather than actual robots. Instead of getting boss weapons, you got whole other suits of armor each with their own abilities that replicate notable characters from the Mega Man Zero universe. In this installment, you were even able to transform into full boss forms called Psuedoroids.
- 20
Mega Man X8
Now we go from the very first to the very last. Mega Man X8 was the last game made in the X series. You were able to play as Mega Man, who copied boss weapons as usual, Zero, who gained multiple melee weapons and techniques from defeating enemies, and Axl, who played similar to Bass with a rapid fire eight directional gun that causes him to stop moving as it fired. It was an incredibly fun game, but the Mega Man X series was already on its last legs after Mega Man X7 and X8 just wasn’t good enough to save it.
- 19
Mega Man: The Wily Wars
The Wily Wars may just be the best Mega Man game that you never played. It was a remake of Mega Man’s 1-3 with better graphics and expanded stages. However, the real gem of this title was not the original three games, but the extra mode at the end called Wily Tower. Here you got to customize Mega Man’s arsenal with weapons and support items from the first three games however you liked. It allowed you to build your dream Mega Man! It would be great if a similar game combining all the Mega Man games of the past would come out on a modern day console.
- 18
Mega Man Network Transmission
Mega Man Network Transmission is a cult classic Mega Man game for the Nintendo Gamecube. It starred the Battle Network series of characters but put them in a 2D platforming game, and it was great. It had an outstanding chip based weapon system, interesting and memorable bosses, and fantastic level design. Also, it was hard. Incredibly hard. Like, Mega Man 1 hard. Still, that’s no reason not to give this little known Mega Man gem a shot.
- 17
Mega Man ZX
The prequel to Mega Man ZX Advent is another great piece of 2D platforming goodness on the Nintendo DS. While the system of this game isn’t nearly as advanced or flexible as Advent’s was, it was still a great game that allowed you to fool around with the Trans-On biometal system.
- 16
Mega Man Battle Network 2
Most people frown on the Mega Man Battle Network series of RPGs. It was unlike other Mega Man games, playing out with internet avatars battling on a 6x3 grid. However, Battle Network 2 was one of the best RPGs that the Gameboy Advance had to offer. It gave Mega Man so many options for customization. You can choose different elements, styles, chip folders, and more. Unfortunately, the series started to get old when Capcom started churning out sequel after sequel in short order, eventually giving into the Pokemon plague of “two releases for one game.”